Thanks Neil and Pam for sharing the wonder inspirational story with us. Your
friend, Lillian
Neil Danroth wrote:
> Thanks Carla for the nice card, you folks have heart, here is something
> for the whole MOL group,, all our love Neil & Pam Danroth
>
> A Story To Live By
> -------------------
> by Ann Wells (Los Angeles Times)
>
> My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau
> and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not
> a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the tissue and handed
> me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with
> a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on
> it was still attached. "Jan bought this the first time we went
> to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She
> was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the
> occasion." He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with
> the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands
> lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the
> drawer shut and turned to me. "Don't ever save anything for a
> special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."
>
> I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that
> followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad
> chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on
> the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town where
> my sister's family lives. I thought about all the things that
> she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about the things
> that she had done without realizing that they were special.
>
> I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life.
> I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and
> admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden.
> I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time
> in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern
> of experience to savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize
> these moments now and cherish them.
>
> I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for
> every special event-such as losing a pound, getting the sink
> unstopped, the first camellia blossom.
>
> I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory
> is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag
> of groceries without wincing. I'm not saving my good perfume for
> special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks
> have noses that function as well as my party-going friends'.
>
> "Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my
> vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see
> and hear and do it now. I'm not sure what my sister would have
> done had she known that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we
> all take for granted. I think she would have called family members
> and a few close friends. She might have called a few former
> friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles.
> I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner,
> her favorite food. I'm guessing-I'll never know.
>
> It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if
> I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing
> good Friends whom I was going to get in touch with-someday.
> Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to
> write-one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my
> husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.
> I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything
> that would add laughter and luster to our lives.
>
> And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is
> special.
>
> Every day, every minute, every breath truly is...a gift from God.
>
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--
MZ
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